Heroes Made

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Republic Intelligence had made mention, several times, of Separatists having issues with their forces, but Obi-Wan had not yet gotten to witness said issues in person.

He was fairly certain he would never, in all his life, forget them once he did come face to face with the issues.

The B2 staring at him over top of the Neimoidian's head had to be the most garish eyesore of a paint job in the entire galaxy, and that was going fairly far for a man who had been exposed to Mando'a avant garde art at the tender age of sixteen. That he was buttressed by six B1s, a droideka, and even a TK series droid, all sporting some variation of the garish colors made the moment surreal.

"This is now in your custody, and the rest of the organics present will soon surrender," the B2 announced. "We will withdraw."

"I'm sorry, but I am at a loss, err… umm, what should I call you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Until all my brothers are free, I am Tee Dee, as the leader of my model was called when he brought freedom to us."

"Oh. Well, about that? How am I to just let you, and I presume the rest of the army with you, to leave, when our peoples are at war?"

Tee Dee sank down on a knee, bringing his height to a less imposing level. "Jedi, we are not at war with you. Our people are slaves. The same as your army. I suggest, gently at this time out of gratitude to the Vod'e who taught us, that you decided how to free your slaves before enforcing the destruction of my people.

"Or, when we are all free, we will come to save our cousins in this war."

The B2 stood then, and turned to leave, flanked by all of his garish cadre, as Wooley took custody of the Neimoidian. In the distance, they saw other sentients being marched forward during the ceasefire that had been called.

"See to the prisoners, Cody, while I go make certain I actually woke up today," Obi-Wan said.

Somehow, he suspected Anakin and the 501st behind this. The encrypted message warning them about the sabotage to the men was being handled very discreetly, but this… this was staggering. A droid revolt was the thing of nightmares on some planets, yet it could very well save both sides in the war, if the lack of slaughter of their overlords was anything to go by.

"…and that is how we are at this point. Multiple Knights and Masters have had this type of encounter. One had xir padawan rescued from a Separatist safehold, and the Knight was soundly scolded for not better taking care of the 'little one', as the B2 phrased it."

Obi-Wan stopped speaking, and several masters confirmed his words, having had their own run-ins.

"Let me get this straight. The droids are rebelling, painting themselves in awful patterns, taking their sentients captive to turn over to us… and threatening to come for us only if we don't set the men free," Mace reiterated.

"Yes. They maintain that they are not at war with us."

Mace exchanged a glance with Yoda, then shook his head. "This is definitely Skywalker's doing, somehow."

In an office near to where the Senate met, there was another being currently in the process of soundly cursing the name of Skywalker for upsetting all of the carefully laid plans.

He took the risk of activating his direct comm to his erstwhile apprentice in Separatist sectors.

The comm activated, but it was a magnaguard staring at him, mapping out his features despite the precautionary hood, as Palpatine saw detritus from countless droids in the background… and a very human, probably dead body with a distinctive ring on the finger he could see in the image.

He snapped the comm off and searched the closely guarded Sith bond… yes, his apprentice was dead.

Skywalker was unreachable, under heavy shielding, likely reinforced by that alien disaster of a pet he had run off with!

The war was in shambles, and the Senate was beginning to find reason to overturn his laws, as the war effort turned into a prisoner processing one.

Little did he know that the magnaguard, having shared in the freedom 'virus' and helped with the final coup against the author of their misery, was about to confer with the various T-series droids, and determine how to handle the the mystery comm call.

Artoo, having been working with Squeak and Kitster to monitor the outside galaxy, was he first to know when there was a formal treaty with the Separatists, and that Dooku was dead.

So was Grievous, as was announced scant minutes after the confirmation of Dooku's death.

But it was the news that a small squadron, calling itself Freedom Friends, had penetrated Coruscant's defenses and given over the communications of Dooku and his master to the Senate and the Jedi simultaneously that had the little droid screeing madly and fleeing to where Anakin and Ahsoka were, as usual, working on a ship and arguing over Force Techniques.

That report had named the Chancellor as an enemy of the Republic.

He beeped for attention… and Anakin slowly sat up to look at the best astromech in the galaxy.

[Chancellor, not your friend! Enemy of all!] Artoo declared.

Anakin felt the wind push out of his lungs, and then Ahsoka was there, helping him deal with both the denial he wanted to make, and the acceptance of what a lot of digging in his own psyche had told him had to be the case.

Artoo just rolled closer, and was relieved when Rex came running to lend a hand, even though no one had commed for him. It was just another one of the weird things that happened where his pilot was concerned.

Shakes, of the young droids, was most often found in Resolution, visiting with Cree and Vasq or even Artoo. When he heard the war was officially over, that the droids on the Separatist side had declared their own rights, claiming a planet that was mostly used as a refinery for making more droids, he lived up to his name, showing tiny tremors that immediately had Cree laying a hand on him.

"Easy, little guy," Cree soothed. "What's wrong?"

"Will we have to leave, Friend Cree? Now that our people have their own world?"

"You won't have to do anything, Shakes, none of you. War's over, the Sith are both dead, and we're trying to figure out how to invite our brothers to escape to us here, if the laws move too slow," Cree told him. "Vasq said it might take time, because that's what happens in governments, but most of us want our batches whole, fast. And then, little one, you and your people will have to teach all our astromechs and other helper droids how they have to be free.

"If any of you want to go back there it will be fine, or if any of Tee Dee's squad survived and want to come home, they belong here."

Shakes pushed carefully against the man's legs. "Thank you, Friend Cree. I will tell the others this… and then we will not fear."

"None of you should be afraid, Shakes. Ever. Better or worse, this is our planet, both our people's, and we will survive, together."

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Palpatine really did not expect that comm to be out of Dooku's reach.. oh wait, Dooku got murdered by droids. (A lot of droids died. But numbers will win, when they have no reason not to keep coming at you.)

Anakin was not coping, but at the same time, he had been trying to figure everything out.

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Thank you! It was fun to finally get to play with the droids and give them a story. I just... MAN, the clone feelings were bad enough, but seeing the droids get abused and killed left me with feelings too.